Microsoft just demoed its 2-in-1 Continuum feature on a Windows 10 phone giving the mobile device the ability to become a really tiny desktop computer. Continuum adjusts the UI of Windows 10 on a device from desktop to tablet mode based on what's plugged into it. If you plug a keyboard and mouse into a tablet or phone, it goes into desktop mode. When those are unplugged, a pop-up asks if you want to enter tablet mode with touch input. Desktop mode includes the Start Menu and Taskbar you usually associate with a full-size computer. For anyone that travels who would like to pare down the devices they pack, this is great. Corporate Vice President of the Operating Systems Group Joe Belfiore did note that phones would need a hardware upgrade to fully implement the feature.

Shortly after Microsoft wrapped its epic Windows 10 keynote today, we had a chance to see the latest version of the next-gen OS running on some honest-to-goodness hardware. Using a Dell Venue Pro 11 tablet on display here at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters, we got to experience the software in a slightly more final form than when we last saw it. New features include a button for bringing the Start Screen to full-screen, a notification center, revamped Photos and Settings apps and, most importantly, Cortana voice search built right into the desktop. In addition, we got a closer look at the so-called Continuum feature that allows the UI to change depending on what device you're using (laptop, tablet, et cetera).

We knew that Microsoft was planning to tuck that Modern UI inside the resurrected Start Menu for Windows 10, and today, the company provided more details on the next installment's aesthetics. When the update arrives, there will be a version that's designed specifically for devices that are smaller than eight inches in size. This means that the look and feel of the desktop and larger tablets will carry over, and universal apps will allow for seamless transitions from mobile to office sessions. Apps like PowerPoint and Word carry a similar look in mobile versions, and features, like a list of recently opened files, sync across phones, slates and desktop machines. The goal here is an easy-to-use cross-device experience that's accessible anywhere, and consistent aesthetics will certainly help.

The summer programming schedule has officially arrived, and this week familiar warm weather favorites return including Continuum, Falling Skies and Burn Notice. There are also a few new entire including TNT's The Hero reality show and Sinbad on Syfy, plus a lengthy list of Blu-ray releases including a few classics and season five of Breaking Bad. The NHL Conference finals are in full swing, and tonight we'll find out who's joining the Spurs in the NBA Finals. All that, and we haven't even mentioned the Game of Thrones season finale or the news that Dan Harmon is returning to Community. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Continuum
Despite a plot centering around the always-tricky-to-pull-off time travel, season one of this Canadian science fiction show impressed us when it finally aired here, and now season two is ready to go on Syfy. The first season left plenty of juicy plot threads and cliffhangers for us to wonder about, and now we'll find out if the show can continue to deliver on them. Check after the break for a season two preview.
(June 7th, Syfy, 9PM)

Falling Skies
TNT's own science fiction effort returns for its third season this weekend and features a new twist in the battle against Earth-invading aliens -- more aliens. The first two seasons have had some inconsistent quality and gotten bogged down in romantic or political plot lines occasionally, but the premieres and finales always suck us right back in.
(June 9th TNT, 8PM)

Mad Max Trilogy
All three Mad Max films get a Blu-ray set this week, and the third movie Beyond Thunderdome makes its debut on the format. We shouldn't have to convince you this one is worth viewing, but you can see a few trailer clips after the break. Why is this set arriving now? A new flick, Fury Road, is due next year with Tom Hardy taking over the title role.
($34.86 on Amazon)

TV producers always think they can sneak a fast one by us and our eagle-eyed readers. Little do they realize that together we are a near unstoppable force, capable of spotting, identifying and mocking nearly every use (and misuse) of tech on TV. A tipster caught this un-branded tablet on a recent episode of Continuum and, after a little bit of sleuthing, we were able to identify it as the Iconia Tab W500. Without the company's branding it was a little tough to pick out exactly what this slate was, but the off-center placement of the Windows logo and unique looking webcam gave its identity away. Sorry Canadian television, you'll have to try harder to sneak a device by us.

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Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:09:00 -040021|20262876http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/verizon-drops-samsung-fascinate-droid-incredible-droid-r2-d2-t/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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You can call it a Valentine's sale or a pre-iPhone 4 blow out, but any way you slice it there's some pretty good deals on Android phones available from Verizon right now. That includes the Samsung Fascinate and Continuum, as well as the HTC Droid Incredible and Motorola Droid R2-D2, which are all now available for just $100 on the usual two-year contract (the Fascinate deal is apparently today-only). Unfortunately, the sale doesn't include the Droid X, Droid Pro or Droid 2 Global, but Verizon is promising some additional one-day only sales during its "ten days of sweet deals" from now until February 10th, so folks interested in one of those might not be out of luck just yet.

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Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:56:00 -050021|19822402http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/28/samsung-continuum-gets-software-update-v-cast-apps-along-for-th/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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Seriously, Continuum owners, you couldn't have possibly thought you dodged this bullet, right? Big Red's pushing an update today that's kind of a double-edged sword; on the one hand, you get a boatload of bug fixes to visual voicemail, messaging, WeatherBug, and more. But on the other hand, the update will automatically install V CAST Apps, Verizon's app store, whether you like it or not. We'd like the option of choosing an update either with or without additional software on carrier-branded phones these days -- but we suppose we can understand the complexities of forking updates like that. At any rate, this one's over the air, so expect a notification from Verizon on your phone shortly.

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Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:56:00 -050021|19820093http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/08/verizon-sucks-at-photoshop-the-continuum-definitely-cant-do-th/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/08/verizon-sucks-at-photoshop-the-continuum-definitely-cant-do-th/http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/08/verizon-sucks-at-photoshop-the-continuum-definitely-cant-do-th/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
Notice something missing from that Continuum there on Big Red's home page? That's right: if this were a real phone, there'd be an arbitrary black bar across the screen somewhere around the young lady's midsection, followed by a "ticker" at the bottom... but instead, just as with the iOS-powered Droid X, they've once again exceeded the bounds of reality with a little help from Adobe products. Don't get us wrong, the phone Verizon's got up on its home page is the Continuum Verizon probably should've launched... but then they would've had to answer the burning question of why they released a slightly sexier, slimmer version of the Fascinate. It's alright, though, guys -- we've got your back -- just follow the break for the corrected version. You're welcome to use it!

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Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:08:00 -050021|19752576http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/samsung-continuum-first-hands-on/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/samsung-continuum-first-hands-on/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/samsung-continuum-first-hands-on/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
If surprise was the focus of the event, we'd say the Samsung Android-powered, Verizon-exclusive (and, alas, Bing-driven) Continuum reveal was a comedy of errors -- but who cares now that we've got our hands on the Galaxy S phone, secondary ticker and all (at 480 x 96 resolution). The Android buttons themselves, as it turns out, are on the display as well -- basically, it's one huge display. The grip sensor that activates the display seems to work well, although it's pretty easy to squeeze the camera button by accident since it's also on the lower right of the phone. Unfortunately, there's no way for third-party apps to update the ticker -- it's limited to Samsung's stuff right now. We're trying to get some battery life info -- we're curious if turning on a smaller screen more often will result in a longer shelf life, or if it'll just be about even.

Update: Video after the break!

Update 2: Okay, we got some more info on that screen. The entire front of the phone is one huge four-inch screen, with the Android buttons more or less painted over the lower third -- the screen lights up underneath them in white to illuminate them. Samsung says it's just easier for marketing purposes to say it's two screens, but that they're selectively turning on the bottom portion of the display for the ticker. As far as battery life, it's a 1500mah battery that'll last about a day, we're told -- the lower screen turns on whenever a notification comes in, but since it's a smaller screen the battery life is on par with the Fascinate.

We also learned the "grip sensor" isn't really grip-based at all -- it's capacitive, so just lightly touching both sides of the phone lights up the ticker. It's pretty nice, although super easy to set it off by just holding the phone. Samsung says there will eventually be an API for third-party apps to use the ticker, but right now they're just focused on their core experiences. As for Bing, well, no one's saying why some Verizon phones get Binged out and some don't, but every indication is that Verizon calls those shots, not Samsung. We're also told that an Android 2.2 update will eventually arrive, but there's no timeline yet -- and there's a real chance this'll launch with 2.1 after 2.3 hits. Developing...

Update 3: Added a quick macro pic of the buttons after the break -- you can see how it's just one big screen. We also took some side-by-sides with a Captivate -- the Continuum is thicker and narrower. Samsung says the narrower size is designed to appeal to women, who generally have smaller hands. Gallery-107011

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Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:48:00 -050021|19708269http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/samsung-confirms-continuum-dual-display-android-handset-for-veri/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/samsung-confirms-continuum-dual-display-android-handset-for-veri/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/samsung-confirms-continuum-dual-display-android-handset-for-veri/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
After a rather large complement of leaks, Samsung has finally confirmed its Continuum phone for Verizon, via Twitter of all places. The phone will ship on November 11th. Samsung is billing it as the "first phone with a dedicated ticker display," referring to the secondary 1.8-inch color screen below the capacitive touch buttons. There's a Samsung Mobile event happening at 6PM EST that will undoubtedly shed more light on this Android handset, but for now we expect the specs to be in line with other Galaxy S-series handsets. You know, except for the ticker part. Samsung is also proud to announce that it's shipped 3 million Galaxy S phones in the US, a sizable chunk of the 7 million or so sold globally so far.

Update: We've got PR! Check it out after the break. Here's the feature breakdown:

We're here live at Samsung's mysterious Android event... actually, it's not that mysterious since we're dead certain we're about to see the well-leakedContinuum make its official debut. Regardless, we're here and we're bloggin', so settle in and let's see if Sammy and Verizon have any actual surprises for us, shall we?

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Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:05:00 -050021|19708166http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/samsung-throws-up-hands-posts-continuum-user-manual-on-verizon/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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There is a slim possibility that come tomorrow evening, Samsung won't reveal the dual-display Continuum smartphone. But honestly, the company may not have to, as all the pertinent details have alreadyleakedout. However, if you harbor any lingering curiosity about how that 1.8-inch secondary "ticker" display might work, you can find out right now -- the full user manual is inexplicably available on Verizon's website ahead of a formal announcement, along with the standard size comparison and 360-degree views. Find them at our source links immediately below.

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Mon, 08 Nov 2010 01:53:00 -050021|19706796http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/04/verizon-pricing-droid-pro-at-179-samsung-continuum-at-199/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/04/verizon-pricing-droid-pro-at-179-samsung-continuum-at-199/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/04/verizon-pricing-droid-pro-at-179-samsung-continuum-at-199/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
Well, here's some good news -- we just received an internal Verizon pricelist confirming that the Droid Pro will sell for $179 when it hits on November 9th, a far sight lower than the $299 we'd originally heard. That's a pretty tempting price for Moto's Android-with-a-Blackberry-keyboard handset, although we're assuming that it'll be $279 with a $100 rebate at launch. We're also seeing that the dual-display Samsung Continuum Galaxy S phone will hit for the usual $199, while the Droid 2 indeed fell to $149 last week in order to make room for the now nearly-mythical Droid 2 Global, which will come in two colors for $199. We're also separately told that the HTC Merge won't arrive until after the 17th, so those reports of a launch on the 11th might be premature. Either way, it looks like Verizon's going to have a pretty loaded holiday lineup -- and it looks like we've got some serious reviewing to do.

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Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:39:00 -040021|19702981http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/02/full-samsung-continuum-specs-leak-out-in-verizon-comparison-char/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/02/full-samsung-continuum-specs-leak-out-in-verizon-comparison-char/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/02/full-samsung-continuum-specs-leak-out-in-verizon-comparison-char/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
How does the as-yet-unannounced Samsung Continuum stack up against Verizon's pack of Droids, not to mention its Galaxy S brethren? That's what we're finding out for the very first time in a set of allegedly leaked charts. Performance-wise we're looking at a fairly familiar beast with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 384MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, plus 2GB of on-board flash storage and a preloaded 8GB microSD card. Where it gets interesting is that secondary display, which measures 1.8 inches with a 96 x 480 resolution, which will indeed act as a status update, RSS feed and weather report stock ticker that you activate (even when the handset is asleep!) by gripping the bottom of the phone. You're also getting a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and 3G mobile hotspot for up to five devices, but it's not all peaches and cream -- the whole shebang uses Bing for search, and runs on Android 2.1. Here's hoping Samsung intends to provide us a Froyo rollout date when it finally announces this phone. Find the full spec sheets at our source links.

Verizon still hasn't officially announced that it will be carrying the Samsung Continuum Galaxy S phone, but that doesn't seem to have stopped it from including the phone on it's new holiday website -- 'tis the season for being generous, after all. Unfortunately, any word on pricing or a release date will apparently still have to wait for that formal announcement, which we assume will be coming any day now -- previous leaks have pointed to a November 11th release for the dual-display phone.

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Tue, 02 Nov 2010 16:01:00 -040021|19699945http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/01/verizon-nabs-samsung-continuum-zeal-and-motorola-citrus-on-nove/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/01/verizon-nabs-samsung-continuum-zeal-and-motorola-citrus-on-nove/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/01/verizon-nabs-samsung-continuum-zeal-and-motorola-citrus-on-nove/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
Someone's found their way into an internal database and pulled out details on three Verizon phones -- the Samsung Continuum, Samsung Zeal and Motorola Citrus, all of which will reportedly drop on the 11th of next month. We don't have any reason to doubt that, as all three showed up on a recent rebate, but there's more to these leaked screens than a release date. For instance, the Continuum will apparently sport a Swype virtual keyboard on top of a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED screen, to say nothing of that secondary display, and the Motorola Citrus explicitly doesn't support tethering. The Samsung Zeal, meanwhile, isn't a modern smartphone at all, but rather a dual-hinge device with "magic" e-ink keys that change from a standard dialer to a four-row QWERTY layout. Isn't it nice to have all that sorted out?

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Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:12:00 -040021|19696883http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/29/verizons-new-rebate-form-shows-two-droid-2-globals-samsung-con/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/29/verizons-new-rebate-form-shows-two-droid-2-globals-samsung-con/http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/29/verizons-new-rebate-form-shows-two-droid-2-globals-samsung-con/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
Carrier rebate forms have a fun tendency to reveal unannounced hardware, since they cover several upcoming weeks when they're published -- and Verizon's latest for the month of November is a particularly juicy one. Here's what we've got:

There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650, possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed.

The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos.

There's a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we're not sure what it is -- we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of 'em (likely low-end considering it's not a $100 rebate).

More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here.

Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we're not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who's excited?

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Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:41:00 -040021|19695214http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/25/samsung-to-unveil-new-android-device-november-8th/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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Two weeks. That's how long you'll have to wait before Samsung Mobile officially shows off its latest Android device. We say officially, because as these things go, there's a chance the gadget will make it into the limelight via unofficial channels. No indication what it might be, but if we had our say, the Continuum and its secondary OLED screen would make for a nice treat... hey, why are you even asking? Of course we'll be there covering it live!

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Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:25:00 -040021|19688052http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/verizon-scoop-extravaganza-motorola-venus-with-portrait-qwerty/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/verizon-scoop-extravaganza-motorola-venus-with-portrait-qwerty/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/verizon-scoop-extravaganza-motorola-venus-with-portrait-qwerty/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23commentsWe've been tipped by multiple sources today on some interesting developments in Verizon's roadmap over the next couple quarters, and if you're a BlackBerry fan, an Android fan, or a fan of exceptionally fast data, you're probably going to want to tune in. Let's get right into the meat of it, shall we? Follow the break!

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Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:39:00 -040021|19656043http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/exclusive-samsung-continuum-for-verizon-has-double-the-displays/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/exclusive-samsung-continuum-for-verizon-has-double-the-displays/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/exclusive-samsung-continuum-for-verizon-has-double-the-displays/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
The Fascinate's ride at the top of Sammy's Android lineup for Big Red might be a short one -- a very short one. Feast your eyes on this monster, said to be the rumored SCH-i400 Continuum, whose biggest claim to fame would be the addition of a secondary OLED display below the main. What might you use it for? Well, it's called the "Ticker," and it'll show notifications and RSS updates (and judging from that picture, weather conditions, too). Naturally, one of the selling points is that you can access basic phone functionality and information without having to fiddle with the normal UI or turn on that big, power-sapping primary display; in fact, the Ticker will automatically turn on when you grasp the bottom of the phone. The Continuum's also got a microSD slot on the side (accessible without a battery pull) and a dedicated camera button, and judging from one of the shots we've got, it might be Galaxy S-branded. Follow the break for a couple more shots!

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Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:43:00 -040021|19655481http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/18/verizons-remaining-2010-roadmap-to-be-an-android-fest-of-phones/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/18/verizons-remaining-2010-roadmap-to-be-an-android-fest-of-phones/http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/18/verizons-remaining-2010-roadmap-to-be-an-android-fest-of-phones/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
Practically everything we've heard -- both officially and through tipsters -- lines up with information coming out of Phone Arena this week detailing a truly Google-heavy upcoming Fall and Winter release schedule for our friends at Big Red. Starting next month, it seems that we'll see a global version of the just-launched Droid 2, possibly with a white option (though it seems this could also be the R2-D2 model), and the Motorola WX455 we'd leaked has been named "Citrus" and will (as you probably could've guessed) target the low end of the market and the young'uns who are looking for an affordable way to get into Android; as WWAN-enabled laptops go, they'll be picking up the Dell Vostro V13 and the HP Pavilion DM1.